1. What is a historic place in District 3 that is particularly important to you? Why?

AMOS: Washington Park has always been particularly important and significant to me.  The story of Washington Park is synonymous with Atlanta’s history and legacy of African American entrepreneurs and developers.  One of Washington Park’s original plats created Atlanta’s first planned black neighborhood. Heman Perry, a black developer, later adopted the remaining plats of the neighborhood, and Washington Park became the epi-center of his master plan to develop a community where African Americans could live and thrive. Washington Park reminds us of how far Atlanta has come as the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement.  The park was once the first recreational park for African Americans. Prior to its construction, there were no recreational parks in Atlanta available to African Americans. Today, District 3 is home to a number of best-inclass parks and serves hundreds of residents, and I hope to continue this important work if elected.

BROWN: Education is often said to be the great equalizer, and because I had to limit my educational attainment to raise my brothers and sisters, I understand how critical education is. Therefore, Gaines Hall and the English Avenue School are my favorite historic sites in district three. I believe a part of addressing the economic disparity in district three is to invest in the education of our people. Through community engagement and partnerships with stakeholders, I find that these historic sites can be beacons of hope housing programs that equip our residents with trade skills and small business development.

 

2. As a member of the Atlanta City Council, how will you work with Clark Atlanta University, Invest Atlanta, and other stakeholders to restore Gaines Hall?  

AMOS: I believe that any conversation about the restoration of Gaines Hall and utilization of the Morris Brown property must begin with the desires and demands of the community.  I would spend my first six months in office listening to community stakeholders and then work with Clark Atlanta University and Invest Atlanta on a path forward. As a result, we may pursue having a master developer with a community-based focus provide advice and expertise on the most appropriate community, commercial, and residential use.  

BROWN: As a member of the Atlanta City Council, I will make the restoration of Gaines Hall a priority. I will have a strong voice in creating and sustaining meaningful dialogue between Clark Atlanta University and Invest Atlanta. Gaines Hall is one of the oldest buildings in the City of Atlanta and served as an engine of educational opportunity for many African Americans. I believe we can advance the stabilization and restorative efforts through accountability and shared fundraising. If we can produce 24 million dollars to construct a pedestrian bridge a few blocks away, we can find 12 million dollars to restore a critical piece of Atlanta’s legacy. I will be a strong voice in developing a shared plan that benefits the community and Clark Atlanta University leading to the restoration Gaines Hall.

 

3. What are your top three priorities to ensure the preservation of historic buildings, sites, and neighborhoods in District 3 and across the city?  

AMOS: I believe that the preservation movement should tell the full American story.  Only eight percent of National Register sites and three percent of our National Historic Landmarks represent people of color, women, or members of the LGBTQ community.  In order to ensure that we address the emerging challenges of historic preservation, we should revisit current standards that guide preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction to make sure we are keeping up with advancements in urbanization and development.  We must also explore avenues to pay for preservation efforts and work with the City’s urban design commission to evaluate current funding options, including Opportunity Zones.

BROWN: I believe in the thoughtful reuse of historic sites, buildings, and neighborhoods. Fortunately, the City of Atlanta has a rich legacy and many opportunities to preserve, rehabilitate, restore, and reconstruct historical sites, buildings, and neighborhoods. When elected, my top three priorities to ensure the preservation of historic sites will be to raise public awareness, find funding opportunities, and with community input determine the future purpose or utilization of the site. We must educate our communities on the importance of historic sites and find unique ways to incorporate these sites into the existing fabric of society.

 

4. What policy ideas do you have to help protect historic neighborhoods in District 3 from the adverse effects of  absentee landlords and property speculators?

AMOS: We must first stabilize our historic neighborhoods and keep them affordable. Publicprivate partnerships are essential to providing housing options that are accessible and affordable for the residents of District 3. My community is a close-knit workingclass community, so it is my intention to build on the work of the House Atlanta task force recommendations.  Specifically, we must expand initiatives like the antidisplacement initiative which is a national model, which focuses on reducing the tax burden in gentrifying communities. We must also use and activate real estate which is owned by the City of Atlanta, APS, the Atlanta BeltLine and the Atlanta Housing Authority, to create new communities which are affordable.  

We must also create a way to force absentee landlords into court and be willing to take the property in question.  I will work on a policy that addresses these properties and requires that they be viewed as public safety issues. My policy will allow the city to receive the properties of chronic absentee landlords at market rate and to work with the greater community to stabilize them by putting them into a land trust.

BROWN: Absentee landlords and speculators can cause many problems in historic neighborhoods such as increasing opportunities for crime, fire, and the lowering of surrounding property values. To protect our communities, we must find additional solutions to address speculators and absentee landlords. I believe we can address abandoned homes in numerous ways. One answer is to increase the code enforcement fines to address vacant houses that are not compliant with code. Also, we can remove bureaucratic barriers that create obstacles for reuse. Additionally, we can advocate for “spot blight eminent domain” that will allow the city to seize properties and resell to a party that will restore the productivity of the home. Abandoned homes are an essential issue in our community, and when elected, I will work with code enforcement to ensure we are fully enforcing the existing ordinances and looking for new feasible solutions to address this issue.